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57-399: The Catlins River Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealand 's national rail network . It ran through the Catlins region in southwestern Otago and was built in sections between 1879 and 1915. It closed in 1971 except for the first four kilometres, which remain open as the Finegand Branch (formerly named the 'Finegand Industrial Siding'). Along the line

114-570: A freezing works . Although remnants of closed railways diminish and disappear as a result of both nature and human activity, the Catlins River Branch is a well-preserved line due to its isolated location. The Hunts Road tunnel is preserved by the New Zealand Department of Conservation and can be walked; the old railway's formation to the tunnel is quite visible at this point, as it is at many other locations along

171-553: A certain industrial site such as a power station either because of a location away from the main line or to reduce congestion. They were typically built to lower standards, using lighter rail and shallow roadbeds when compared to main lines. Much of Canada's branch line history relates to large rail transport conglomerates (such as the Grand Trunk , Canadian National , or Canadian Pacific ) which would acquire formerly independent short line railways for use as branch lines, with

228-455: A deterrent to serious extension plans and they were abandoned. The following stations were on the Catlins River Branch (distance from the junction in brackets): All bush tramways were closed by the time the branch closed. Many were closed by 1942. As the line was built, sawmills were established alongside it and extensive logging began of inland areas as only the coastal forests easily accessible by sea had been previously logged. Every station

285-414: A heavy metal gauge firing pan bolted tight against the bottom of the firebox. The firing pan is covered with firebrick and the firebox has a firebrick lining, usually up to the level of the firebox door, all the way around the firebox. The oil burner is a nozzle containing a slot for the oil to flow out onto a steam jet which atomizes the oil into a fine mist which ignites in the firebox. The oil burner nozzle

342-411: A larger yard, where these railcars are sorted and dispatched in larger trains with other cars destined to similar locations. Because industrial spurs generally have less capacity and traffic than a mainline, they tend to have lower maintenance and signaling (train control) standards. Before the rise of the long-distance trucking in the early 1930s, railroads were the primary means of transportation around

399-428: A locomotive in regular service, because the soft metal alloy core will slowly melt out over time even if the boiler water is carried at proper levels. The "mudholes," or washout plugs, allow access to the interior of the boiler for washing and scraping away boiler mud and scale . The sheets on the left and right are called "side sheets" while the sheet in the front of the firebox is the flue sheet. The "front flue sheet"

456-823: A section of the West Rail line . Discontinued services include the Sha Tau Kok Railway and the Wo Hop Shek Branch . A spur line to Siu Sai Wan has been proposed. Delhi On the Delhi Metro , the Blue Line has a Branch Line with 8 Stations, linking Yamuna Bank to Ghaziabad via Anand Vihar ISBT and terminating at Vaishali. The first section of the Branch opened on 8 January 2010 with Anand Vihar as its terminal with six stations. It

513-491: A single track, the journey is 0.8 miles (1.3 kilometres) long and the train takes around two and a half minutes to complete its journey. In North America, little-used branch lines are often sold by large railroads to become new common carrier short-line railroads of their own. Throughout the United States and Canada, branch lines link smaller towns too distant from the main line to be served efficiently, or to serve

570-531: A subsidy for grain transport, and instead allowed railways to absorb branch line subsidies freely without making effort to improve the profitability of the lines. The term "grain-dependent branch lines" began being used as early as 1978 to refer to the special case of these branch lines in agricultural areas whose viability depended on the economics of grain transport. The Western Grain Transportation Act of 1983 addressed this case specifically, but

627-538: Is a distinct component from the firebox and tubes - a large single extension of the firebox space, into the boiler barrel, and above the brick arch and separated from the grate and the fire bed, this placed additional space between the fire and the rear fire tube/flue sheet. This allowed more complete combustion (reducing fuel wastage) and increased firebox surface area for greater heat-transfer, these factors Improved both boiler efficiency and fuel economy. The improved combustion (which reduces carbon-soot ejection) reduced

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684-556: Is a type of secondary track used by railroads to allow customers at a location to load and unload railcars without interfering with other railroad operations. Industrial spurs can vary greatly in length and railcar capacity depending on the requirements of the customer the spur is serving. In heavily industrialized areas, it is not uncommon for one industrial spur to have multiple sidings to several different customers. Typically, spurs are serviced by local trains responsible for collecting small numbers of railcars and delivering them to

741-534: Is generally powder which will fall through the grates with no more agitation required than the vibrations of the locomotive rolling down the track. The fire grates must be replaced periodically due to the extreme heat they must endure. Combustion air (primary air) enters through the bottom of the firebox and airflow is usually controlled by damper doors above the ash collection pocket of the ash pan. A locomotive that burns liquid fuel - usually "Bunker C" fuel oil or similar heavy oil - does not have grates. Instead, they have

798-416: Is in the front of the boiler and at the rear of the smokebox. The "rear sheet" is at the back of the firebox and has the door opening in it. The crown sheet is the top of the firebox. The crown sheet must be covered by water at all times. If the water level drops below the crown sheet, it will become overheated and start to melt and deform, usually sagging between the crown stays . If the condition continues,

855-471: Is named after the Argentine locomotive engineer Livio Dante Porta , who invented it. The fireman's role on a steam locomotive is to ensure the driver has an adequate supply of steam at his disposal at all times. This is achieved by maintaining a supply of fuel to the fire, monitoring the smoke from the fire and controlling it by the use of primary air through the fire bed/grate and secondary air through

912-433: Is supported on arch tubes, thermic syphons, or circulators. The brick arch directs heat, flames, and smoke back over the fire towards the rear of the firebox. Visible smoke contains unburned combustible carbon particles and combustible gasses. The purpose of this redirection is to cause more complete combustion of these particles and gasses which make the locomotive more efficient and causes less visible smoke to be emitted from

969-406: Is usually mounted in the front of the firebox, protected by a hood of firebrick, and aimed at the firebrick wall below the firebox door. Dampers control air flow to the oil fire. There is a large brick arch (made from fire brick ) attached to the front wall (boiler throat plate) of the firebox immediately beneath the firetubes. This extends backwards over the front third to half of the firebed. It

1026-532: The Bay of Plenty Region , lines were built inland to provide rail access to large logging operations. Today, many of the branch lines have been closed, including almost all of the general-purpose country lines. Those that remain serve ports or industries far from main lines such as coal mines, logging operations, large dairying factories, and steelworks . In Auckland and Wellington , two branch lines in each city exist solely for commuter passenger trains. For more, see

1083-753: The Gladstone Branch in New Jersey; as well as the New Canaan Branch , Danbury Branch , and Waterbury Branch in Connecticut . The Long Island Rail Road also refers to its services as "branches". In Chile, there are a lot of branch lines on its main line, of only a few remain operational. Most only operating in turistic services (like the Antilhue-Valdivia branch line), others have been taken over by other railways (like

1140-537: The Kingston Flyer ) lost its sanding ability as it climbed from Owaka to Takahopa and therefore could not grip the rails. Although repairs were conducted at the terminus, the engine's firebox arch collapsed on the return journey and D 1243 had to run the train from Owaka back to Dunedin , finally arriving at 1 am the next morning. The line's closure did not affect the first four kilometres (2.5 mi) to Finegand, which remain open as an industrial siding to

1197-788: The North South Line between Jurong East and Choa Chu Kang stations was operated as a separate line, known as the Branch line . It was merged into the North–South Line with the opening of the Woodlands Extension in 1996. The future Jurong Region Line and Cross Island Line will also have branch lines. New Zealand once had a very extensive network of branch lines, especially in the South Island regions of Canterbury , Otago , and Southland . Many were built in

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1254-612: The Pisa-Rome railway mainline at Roma San Pietro railway station , to Vatican City station . Many British railway branch lines were closed as a result of the " Beeching cuts " in the 1960s, although some have been re-opened as heritage railways . The smallest branch line that is still in operation in the UK is the Stourbridge Town Branch Line from Stourbridge Junction going to Stourbridge Town . Operating on

1311-578: The Sentinel steam waggon which had a vertical water tube boiler . There were, and are, many different designs of firebox for stationary boilers. In flue-type boilers (e.g. the Lancashire boiler ) the flues themselves form the firebox. In water-tube boilers , the firebox is usually a firebrick-lined compartment below the water tubes. In marine boilers there are also various types of firebox. The main distinction is, again, between fire-tube types (e.g.

1368-704: The South Tseung Kwan O Spur Line to LOHAS Park station , opened in 2009. Earlier, a spur line was built in 1985 on the East Rail line to serve Racecourse station , bypassing Fo Tan station . Also, the Tsim Sha Tsui Extension  [ yue ] was built in 2004 on the East Rail line to serve East Tsim Sha Tsui station . However, after the Kowloon Southern Link was completed in 2009, this spur line turns into

1425-412: The list of New Zealand railway lines . Firebox (steam engine) In the standard steam locomotive fire-tube boiler, the firebox is surrounded by water space on five sides. The bottom of the firebox is open to atmospheric pressure, but covered by fire grates (solid fuel) or a firing pan (liquid fuel). If the engine burns solid fuel, like wood or coal, there is a grate covering most of the bottom of

1482-484: The 1930s, and although it improved during World War II , the return of peace brought the return of the decline, and on 30 November 1958, passenger services on the line were cancelled. A couple of years previously, the locomotive depot in Tahakopa had closed on 12 August 1956. The local residents had strong feelings for their railway, and when the last Tahakopa-based engine, A 476 , departed the isolated terminus, " Now Is

1539-468: The Hour " was sung and a wreath was placed on the locomotive. With the closure of the Tahakopa depot, trains began operating from Balclutha instead, and with the cessation of passenger services, a freight train ran thrice weekly to Tahakopa (on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays), and a fourth service ran as far as Owaka on Tuesdays. The sawmilling industry had been thriving in the 1930s, but three decades later, it

1596-466: The Romahapa Creek continues to stand. Branch line A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line . A very short branch line may be called a spur line . Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located on a main line. Branch lines may also connect two or more main lines. An industrial spur

1653-695: The San Rosendo-Talcahuano branch line, which has been taken over by Biotrén and the Laja-Talcahuano train service) however, there is one branch line that still remains as fully operative. The Talca-Constitución branch line, which uses trains with bus motors. Two extensions to the MTR rapid transit network were built as branches of existing lines: the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line to Lok Ma Chau station , which opened in 2007; and

1710-560: The U.S. state of New Jersey . The line is a short branch of the Northeast Corridor Line , running from Princeton Junction northwest to Princeton with no intermediate stops. Also known as the "Dinky Line", at 2.9 mi (4.7 km) it is the shortest scheduled commuter rail line in the United States. The run takes 4 minutes, 47 seconds. Other than the Princeton Line, other surviving branch lines include

1767-450: The atmosphere. Firetubes serve the additional purpose of staying the flat tube (flue) sheets (front and rear) so that only the top of the front flue sheet and the bottom of the rear flue sheet must be separately braced. The metal walls of the firebox are normally called sheets , which are separated and supported by stays . The stays support and brace the "sheets" (plates) against pressure. Ideally, they should be located at right angles to

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1824-416: The boiler with water and either bank or dump the fire (i.e. extinguish the fire) or leave the fire to die back according to company policy, apply the locomotive handbrake and if required chock the driver wheels to prevent the locomotive from moving while it is unattended. Road locomotives, such as traction engines , usually had fireboxes similar to those on railway locomotives but there were exceptions, e.g.

1881-568: The carry over of ash and soot into the fire-tubes and smoke box, reducing the frequency of cleaning required. Soot buildup and scale buildup (on the water side) severely reduce heat transfer through the fire tubes/flues, reducing steam generation and boiler efficiency. Buildup of soot and scale can also lead to overheating and subsequent tube failure if not cleaned properly to remove soot (with water, compressed air and cleaning rods) and scale with boiler washouts and water treatment e.g. Porta Treatment (minimizes and virtually prevents scale buildup)

1938-434: The crown sheet will eventually be forced off the crown stays by the pressure in the boiler, resulting in a boiler explosion. This condition, usually caused by human error or inattention, is the single greatest cause of a locomotive boiler explosion. Normally the top of the boiler (wrapper sheet) over the firebox is radial to match the contour of the boiler; however, due to the problem of placing stays at right angles to both

1995-545: The difficult terrain meant that it wasn't until 1 August 1904 that the next 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) to Ratanui opened. Another five kilometres (3.1 mi), another five years; Houipapa was reached on 17 December 1909. The line eventually reached its ultimate terminus of Tahakopa on 17 February 1915. There were proposals to extend the line to meet the Tokanui Branch , but these were little more than ploys by ambitious politicians. The rugged landscape proved to be

2052-439: The extreme heat they endure. The brick arch also deflects "cold" air being drawn in through the firebox door from directly hitting the rear tube plate of the boiler and cooling it when the boiler is hot. Firetubes are attached to one wall of the firebox (the front wall for a longitudinal boiler, the top for a vertical boiler) and carry the hot gaseous products of combustion through the boiler water, heating it, before they escape to

2109-608: The fire is hottest. The most notable user of the Belpaire firebox in the United States was the Pennsylvania Railroad. Other railroads, such as the Great Northern and Illinois Central, had locomotives with Belpaire fireboxes. Illinois Central 4-6-0 #382, Casey Jones' engine, had a Belpaire firebox. Steam is usually collected at the front corners of a Belpaire firebox, allowing for a domeless boiler. The top of

2166-405: The firebox door and maintaining the boiler water level by use of steam injectors so that it covers the firebox crown sheet at all times – otherwise, the latter will overheat and weaken, and a boiler explosion may result. The fireman also assists the driver by spotting signals and keeping a good look out when not attending to the boiler. At the shed after the day's work is done, the fireman will fill

2223-461: The firebox to hold the fire. An ashpan, mounted underneath the firebox and below the grates, catches and collects hot embers, ashes, and other solid combustion waste as it falls through the grates. In a coal-burning locomotive, the grates may be shaken to clean dead ash from the bottom of the fire. They are shaken either manually or (in larger locomotives) by a powered grate shaker. Wood-burning locomotives have fixed grates that cannot be shaken. Wood ash

2280-416: The firebox, rather than being horizontal, is visibly higher at the front than at the rear to reduce the risk of water being carried over with the steam. The Wootten firebox was very tall and wide to allow combustion of anthracite coal waste. Its size necessitated unusual placement of the crew, examples being camelback locomotives . Some fireboxes were equipped with a so-called combustion chamber , this

2337-569: The first president of the Canadian National Railway , said that although most branch lines cannot pay for themselves, they are even essential to make main lines pay. In the United States, abandonment of unproductive branch lines was a byproduct of deregulation of the rail industry through the Staggers Act . The Princeton Branch is a commuter rail line and service owned and operated by New Jersey Transit (NJT) in

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2394-416: The greater flexibility and economic savings of trucking. Today, railroads remain the most economical way to ship large quantities of material, a fact that is reflected in industrial spurs. Most modern day spurs serve very large industries that require hundreds, if not thousands, of carloads a year. There is an international branch line between Italy and Vatican: the 300-metre Vatican Railway , connecting from

2451-546: The late 19th century to open up inland regions for farming and other economic activities. The branches in the South Island regions were often general-purpose lines that carried predominantly agricultural traffic, but lines elsewhere were often built to serve a specific resource: on the West Coast , an extensive network of branch lines was built in rugged terrain to serve coal mines, while in the central North Island and

2508-476: The line and opened on 7 July 1891. The opening of the following section was delayed by difficulties in boring the Hunts Road tunnel, and it was on 16 December 1895 that the branch was opened to Tahora . The present-day largest town in the district, Owaka , was reached on 22 June 1896, bringing the line to a length of 31.06 kilometres (19.30 mi). Three years later, construction of the line recommenced, but

2565-468: The line. Goods sheds and station buildings still stand in Maclennan, Romahapa (in this case, the station building has been resited), Takahopa, and Tawanui. Station buildings can also be found at Puketiro and Caberfeidh. In Takahopa, some rails are embedded in a road by the yard's former site, wheels from logging trolleys used on a bush tramway remain at the location of Stuart's yard, and the bridge over

2622-572: The railways had owned. However, by the mid-20th century, railways began neglecting lines in western agricultural regions. This was historically driven by factors such as the Crow Rate , which regulated the price railways could charge for shipping grain. Railways had little incentive to invest in rural Prairie branch lines, but were legally unable to abandon them under the National Transportation Act , which also did not provide

2679-512: The sheets, but since the outer sheet (wrapper sheet) is often rounded and the top of the firebox (crown sheet) is relatively flat by comparison, such a relationship to both sheets is impossible. The actual location of the stays is a compromise. Since stay breakage is hidden, the stays have longitudinal holes, called tell-tales , drilled in them which will blow water and steam, revealing if they are broken. A boiler with more than 5 broken stays, or two next to each other, must be taken out of service and

2736-833: The short line often continuing to exist as a subsidiary. For example, when the Canadian Pacific acquired the Algoma Eastern Railway (a short line) in 1930, it soon after abandoned much of the Algoma Eastern mainline, but retained sections close to Algoma Eastern–Canadian Pacific junctions as short branch lines or spurs. The National Transportation Act of 1967 provided government subsidies for branch lines. Western railway development in Canada worked in concert with land settlement and cultivation, as pioneers were settled near railway lines, often on land

2793-507: The stack. Without the arch, flames and visible smoke would be sucked straight into the firetubes without having been fully burned, causing visible smoke to be emitted at the stack. The invention of the brick arch allowed locomotives to burn cheaper coal (which contains volatiles) instead of coke, it having been a legal requirement from the outset for engines to "consume their own smoke". The brick arch and its supports (arch tubes, thermic syphons, and circulators) require periodic replacement due to

2850-460: The stays replaced. The fusible plugs , usually located in the highest part of the crown sheet, have a soft metal alloy core which melts out if the water level in the boiler gets too low. Steam and water blowing into the firebox both alerts the locomotive crew to the low water condition and helps put out the fire. Not all locomotives are equipped with fusible plugs. Also, fusible plugs should be replaced at regular intervals, about every three months for

2907-467: The world. Industries of the era were commonly built along railroad lines specifically to allow for easy access to shipping. Short (under a mile, oftentimes only several hundred yards) industrial spurs with very small (under ten car) capacities were a common sight along railroads in industrial and rural cities alike. As automobile and roadway technology improved throughout the early and mid-20th century, most low volume industry spurs were abandoned in favor of

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2964-454: The wrapper sheet and the crown sheet (see above) the Belpaire firebox was developed. In the Belpaire design, the wrapper sheet is roughly parallel with the firebox sheets to allow better placement of the stays. This arrangement gives the firebox end of the boiler a more square shape and is usually made as large as possible within the loading gauge , to offer the greatest heating surface where

3021-504: Was further extended to Vaishali in 2011. The line is planned to be extended from Vaishali to Mohan Nagar via Sahibabad Station to link with the main line. The East West Line of the MRT system in Singapore has a two-station branch to Changi Airport . The first station, Expo , opened in 2001. It was extended to Changi Airport station the next year. From 1990 to 1996, the section of

3078-549: Was in sharp decline, and agricultural traffic for farms around Owaka had also fallen. The line was dieselised on 5 August 1968. Local residents protested the announcement of the line's closure in July 1970, but the railway administration stood firm and confirmed in October that the date of closure would be 27 February 1971. A number of final excursions were held, with the last proving to be quite eventful. A 795 (now preserved to run

3135-471: Was located near at least one sawmill, and particularly in the line's first decades, they provided substantial freight traffic. Up to sixteen trains a week would operate, usually mixed trains that carried passengers as well as freight. On Tuesdays, the market day in the Catlins, a dedicated passenger service would run to Balclutha to connect with the express to Dunedin . Passenger traffic began to decline in

3192-502: Was repealed in 1994 in the wake of the North American Free Trade Agreement and budget-balancing initiatives in favour of a one-time payout by the federal government directly to farmers, to arrange transport of grain themselves. From the mid-1970s to the late 2010s, more than 9,300 kilometres (5,800 mi) of Prairie branch lines were abandoned or had a discontinuance of service. David Blyth Hanna ,

3249-696: Was the Hunts Road tunnel, the southernmost tunnel in New Zealand. The line was built mainly to provide access to timber for logging companies, as access to the thickly wooded Catlins region was very difficult at the time. The first contract for construction was let on 29 April 1879, but it was not until 15 December 1885 that the first 12.79 km to Romahapa from the junction with the Main South Line in Balclutha were opened. The next stage to Glenomaru added approximately ten more kilometres to

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